Winter Returns To North Iowa

A perfectly good Saturday gone to waste! This was early this morning.

Read more here

And this is at 11:30.

My poor hydrangeas!

Now I’m going to the shop to sew something fun! I wonder what that will be!

Another update later.

Hey, Betty K in Rapid City – did you get this storm before us? Or are we just the lucky ones?

51 thoughts on “Winter Returns To North Iowa

  1. Casey

    Oh, poor Hazel looks so dejected….as I’m sure you are too. It will hopefully be but a memory tomorrow!

    1. Patricia Campbell

      Oh my!! Good eyes! I didnt even spot her until you mentioned her!! She DOES look dejected… šŸ˜ž

  2. Julie stancato

    Yep, I feel your pain, or should I just say I get what you’re feeling right now. I live in very southern Wisconsin, near the Illinois border, and it just started snowing. They say 4-6 inches. I ran outside to take a picture of a daffodil that bloomed, which I didn’t notice till just now. Mother Nature sure is a prankster isn’t she?

  3. Jean

    Wait! What? Oh no! Did you really think it wouldn’t happen? Argh! I’m so sorry, Mary!
    -Jean <3

  4. Marian Stever

    Oh, Mary! Living in the midwest sure has its ups and downs. I live in Rochester and sent little videos of the snowfall to my kids in Atlanta and Washington, D.C. I bet they are glad they didn’t settle here. Oh well, there are supposed to be a lot of minerals in that snow so let’s hope…May flowers!
    Nice day to sew! Poor Hazel is wondering what has happened.

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Marian Steven – Hazel is not a fan of thunder snow which got us up this morning and since I’m sewing she is sleeping. Bet your kids enjoyed those videos of the snow! I think you’re going to get more than us – so sorry!

  5. Nikki M in Tx

    On the bright side….7 ads closed .
    Sorry, we are having a beautiful day! 78 right now,predicted high 85 this afternoon. Got 3 roses bushes planted in flower bed, finally found a supplier for Lady Banks rose…just need to find the right place for her.
    Moved Mommas & calves to another pasture and they seem happy. Love watching llama with them.
    Saw a painted bunting yesterday..hopefully a nest is near by. Hummingbirds have arrived in mass,put 3rd feeder up this week. I love watching them.
    Have a wonderful weekend.

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Nikki M – remember when I visited Kathy’s llamas last summer? She’s bringing several of them to a llama show just 25 miles from me – it’s next weekend and I will take lots of pictures. She is the one who had the baby last year named Sunny. Sunny was attacked by a dog who did permanent damage to her ear so showing her won’t be possible. Isn’t that so sad? Does Bongo protect the cows and calves? Maybe you told me and I have forgotten. We are at 34 degrees and dreaming of 78! Thanks for closing the ads!

      1. Nikki M in Tx

        Bongo guards the calves much like a donkey would…several years ago my husband saw him take after acoyote that was stalking newborn calf. So sad about Sunny…& unusual..surprised he let dog get that close,. Purchased Bongo March of 2000, don’t know what age he was,told he was a juvenile, so my guess probably about 9 mo-1year by his size then also got 3 month old lab mix about same time, they were inseparable.
        88 here right now & sunny, just finished planting the Lady Banks rose bush..planted on fence line..should be beautiful next spring, wish had ordered more. Going to take a shower as I hear a pitcher of sweet tea calling my name along with the porch swing…thing my arms got a bit more sun than I intended.Have a great weekend.

        1. CountryThreads Post author

          Nikki M – hat would normal llama behavior be if a dog approached in a menacing manner?

          1. Nikki M in Tx

            Probably charge the dog…Have never seen a dog approach in such manner…labmix was a so friendly & when first got llama kept in small confined area and hand feed or feed from bucket I was holding for first 3 weeks then let out into small corral & still hand feed for another 2-3 weeks(person purchased from advised I do this). Bongo has charged coyotes before but never any dog or cat I have had. Ms Maci, my little dog, he sniffs her ever so often and basically ignores her. Same with the cats.

          2. CountryThreads Post author

            Nikki M – I hope Kathy Hanson is reading this exchange – she is Sunny’s owner. I can’t wait to see both of them next weekend! I wonder if Sunny was too young to have that charging instinct.

      2. Kathy Hanson

        Mary, actually I am going to show Sunny anyway. Several people thought that I should so I am going to do it! It is a shame not to show her so…why not!!

        1. Kathy Hanson

          Nikki, The dog was a husky – surprised our 6 llamas, plus the alpacas that the owners of the farm have. So the llamas weren’t able to kick the dog when they were all so close together. Sunny has never before been afraid of anything and she may even have walked up to him when he attacked her, although we don’t know that. She was only 7 months old at the time. No one saw the attack itself. Yes, llamas make very good guard animals – can kill coyotes by kicking them. When having a guard llama people usually only have one animal the the animals that they are guarding are other grazing animals. There were too many animals together where Sunny was and there was no way to go into guard mode.

          1. CountryThreads Post author

            Kathy Hanson – thank you for telling this to Nikki! I will take pictures next weekend to share on the blog – with your permission.

          2. Nikki M in Tx

            Kathy, I have just the one llama, & he has free range.. if I have babies he usually stays around them…only aggression he has shown has been toward coyotes & one stray dog that was walking toward barn. His favorite treat seems to be my hanging baskets after they get full and lush. Lol. Pathos ivy being a favorite.

        2. CountryThreads Post author

          Kathy Hanson – oh, I am so glad! Poor little Sunny doesn’t deserve to be hidden!

  6. Frances Carter

    Sorry about the weather. Yep best thing to do, see the day away! Have a great seeing day!

  7. Carol

    Closed 8 ads!
    We had a dusting of snow, enough to cover my window box pansies and my dozen primroses I planted last week, bummer, why did I get fooled by 70 degrees and put that color in! Hoping they survive, snow wasn’t supposed to come until tomorrow night, I had my covers ready to protect them…
    Carol, silly Carol, from Western New York, also known as the snow belt!

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Carol – we all have to learn the hard way! Hope your primroses survive!

  8. Carole S.

    I sure hope your hydrangeas are as hardy as mine. They were all budded out last year when we got a heavy frost, which killed those buds, but new ones came on, and last summer the hydrangeas were more beautiful than ever. For your sake, I hope the weather moves on!

  9. Ellie

    So sorry ! Is that what you call ā€œsnirtā€? Glad to see the ads have come back for us to close.

  10. Patricia Campbell

    I love snow, but late April is a bit much even for me!! At Christmas my 89 y/o daddy was complaining bitterly that they had no snow and now they are expecting (your!) snow around Wednesday. They’re in West Michigan. I’m in North Phoenix. Currently it’s 91°. We’re supposed to hit 95° @ my house today… yesterday was 99°… yuck. lol I walk my dog at 6am or 8pm, or I dont walk him at all from now until October.

  11. Joyce

    Thunder snow early this morning by Sioux Falls..left us a couple inches of snow… Ugh! Every time I see the snow I think.. well this is the last snow til after fall! But NO.. I’ve thought this the last 3 times and have been wrong. Now I’m thinking we’ll swing right into summer and AC! Still clicking on the ads😊

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Joyce – thanks for clicking the ads for us. Connie’s mom always said it had to snow 3 times in the robins before it would really be spring!

  12. Betty Klosterman

    Oh, Mary. We’ve got rain off and on since Easter at our house, but the west side of town got some snow with more in the hills. Smile, It’s Spring!! The snow will melt about as quick as it falls and the rain just soaks into the ground making wonderful moisture. There is rain/snow forecast for the next few days, but that is alright, too. It isn’t a blizzard-had that 3 weeks ago-or tornadoes, etc, so we feel pretty lucky. Makes for nice sewing days. Both the sump pumps are running a lot. A neighbor mowed my grass, or maybe I should say Hay as it was so high already. Right now the clippings are laying in piles on the sidewalk and I haven’t got them swept up yet. All in good time. I really feel for all the other places that have all the flooding. Feast or famine. The fires aren’t nice either. My uncles always said they had to have faith to be a farmer.
    Chin up everybody. Enjoy the good and tolerate the bad. It will pass and we’ll complain about something else. Happy Spring!
    Oh, did anybody try the non stick sewing machine needles yet? How do they work?

    The greenhouses are having open house this weekend. I don’t get anything til the last of May. The temps are just too unpredictable. The hen and chicks are looking great and the cactus from the cemetery have lots of bright red seed pods and will be covered with yellow flowers on the first warm days.

  13. michele

    Snow too in Chicagoland, flakes the size of a quarter. At the end of April yet, hard to believe. Even the birds are peeking out of their little houses saying What The Heck.

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Anita Fetzer – I hope so very soon. Guess I’ll put my capris away for Sunday and get out my tights again – ha!

  14. Jan from TN

    Yuck! I sure don’t miss living ā€œup northā€, which was IL for me. My daughter lives just north of Chicago in Evanston & they are expecting anywhere from 2ā€ to 8ā€ today/tonight. I’m sure it’ll melt by tomorrow or Monday…..Hopefully! Whose gonna complain about an extra sewing day — not you, I’m sure! Lol!

  15. Jo in Wyoming

    Boy, oh, boy! What a surprise. Hazel will need a sweater if this keeps up. I hope you got all your ferns moved inside.
    Don’t you just love it when our pets nap in the sewing room? They chase rabbits and snore. They feel so safe and secure. Are they dreaming about us?

  16. Kate

    Brrrr. Looks so cold. Here in Indiana it’s raining and we have had flooding and tornadoes this week. I’ve been cold all day and seeing you pictures makes me colder! Spring is taking its sweet time coming and staying although our flowers and trees are beautiful right now. Your poor pup looks as dejected as you must feel with more snow. A good day to stay inside and sew or read a good book.

  17. Jane

    We had snow this AM and it has melted now. We haven’t put away the snow blowers yet but didn’t need them today. Still keeping an eye on the river across the road from us. Southern Minnesota has its seasons and sometimes they blend together.

  18. Sharon Ernst

    Well, Mary, at least we have the pleasure of quilting when Mother Nature unleashes her wrath on us! We didn’t get snow where I live, but it is certainly cold enough to snow! Just makes me want to roll my eyes! šŸ™„
    ā™„ļøā™„ļø

  19. Launa

    Mary, After a sunny, but blustery day it started to snow here in Idaho at 5:30pm! Temperature outside is 40 degrees. Snow is not sticking. News mentioned it could last 3-4 hours! I’m doing some hand quilting with long stitch on a scrap pieced oblong top. Wanted to try flannel for batt. Works great; easy to needle thru!
    Planned to watch the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on CNN, but the news of the tragic hate crime Synagogue shooting is being discussed. Prayers for those families.

  20. Christina

    We have had snow several times in the past few weeks , but we expect it in Alaska! The kids at school were excited to build snowmen at recess . I like your pick of quilts too for the next quilt-along !

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Christina – I think we’re all ā€œover itā€ with the snow. It’s almost gone already.

  21. Diane Bauer

    Oh, no!! Hazel does look pretty dejected! Glad you got a day to sew! Will be anxious to see what you created!
    I heard on our morning news that we have snow coming Monday and Tuesday—2ā€ or 10ā€ depending on if you are looking at the local model or the European model apparently. I vote for 2ā€ if we have to get any. I’m over it! My tulips are in full bloom and I really hate to lose them!!
    Jen was home to see Pete and the pups today. She has decided he’s back to normal (very much wishful thinking, but he does seem to be doing well!). I took lots of pictures again—never tire of that subject matter!
    Happy Sunday to all! Stay warm!!

    1. CountryThreads Post author

      Diane Bauer – such good news about Pete! One time we had 5 dogs and then I’d board 2 more lots of times – in the house because I couldn’t bear to leave them in the kennel! Now I’m not sure how I did it!

      1. Diane Bauer

        Sounds like heaven!! I didn’t think I’d enjoy having four big dogs in the house quite as much as I did, but the love just multiplied with each additional pup and now I miss them!! Looking forward to seeing them again this week!

        1. CountryThreads Post author

          Diane Bauer – but where did they go? Aren’t they still at your house? I’m confused.

  22. Kathy Hanson

    We had snow, like yours, this morning too. Do you have any left tonight? Ours is basically all gone now. It was pretty and we are really glad that it is gone!!

  23. Heather K

    I am so sorry about the snow! The Easter bunny delivered my copy of Beyond The Battlefield today – I am reading it now.

  24. Betty Klosterman

    Mary, we’ve got storm warnings for Tuesday and Wednesday….. I’d better get groceries tomorrow. Hope it doesn’t come your way.

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